Page 13 of Reclaiming Adelaide

Jake stepped inside and shut the door behind him as I sped through the kitchen where my parents stood discussing something.

“Adelaide?” my mother said, putting her cup down on the counter. “Jake?”

“What’s going on?” my dad asked.

“It’s okay, Mr. and Mrs. Leaver. Adelaide and I are just discussing the damages.” He followed me towards the stairs, and my heart jumped into my throat.

They weren’t going to say anything? Or stop him from pursuing me?

Snorting, I bolted down the stairs. If I could get behind my bedroom door, I’d be safe there.

Jake rushed after me, close on my heels. By the time I’d gotten to the bottom step, I’d become winded and almost sleepy.

I’d only grown weaker since that night. With the alcohol, puking, and saltines as my only source of sustenance, there wasn’t much to keep me nourished.

Jake shut the door behind us and turned the lock—the click a resounding nail in my coffin.

“Leave,” I panted.

“I think you know how this is gonna go.”

We’ve been here before. He was persistent, stubborn as a fucking mule, and eventually got what he wanted. And that was when I was at full strength. There was no way I could have battled him now.

“I don’t have time for this.”

I dropped my backpack and dumped my dirty clothes into the hamper, then hit my closet and dresser, repacking my bag as he stood in the center of my room, his fists on his hips.

The sheets and comforter I’d left on the floor for the last two and a half weeks were gone. Mom must have picked them up when she came in to feed Fruity.

That left my room feeling as bare as my mattress.

“Where are you going?”

I snorted again. “Like I’m going to tell you.” I walked around him, shoving a pair of socks into the front pack. He gripped my arm, his fingers digging hard into my flesh.

“I’m not playing this fucking game with you, Adelaide,” he seethed. The same frightening look he had that night shined in his eyes now, sending prickling shivers up my spine. “Tell me what’s happened and where you’re going.”

“Why do you care? You threatened to destroy me and everyone I’ve ever loved. Shouldn’t you be happy? Your plan is coming to fruition, and you haven’t even lifted a finger.” I pulled on my arm, but he squeezed harder. “Let me go.”

“If anyone is going to ruin your life, it’ll be me.”

“Oh, so it’s not because you care, but because you want first dibs?” He may have infuriated me, but there was a smidgen of hope raised inside of me when he asked about my safety, only for him to dash it with his hatefulness. My eyes burned as tears threatened to make an appearance. “Let me go, and I’ll disappear from your life just like you want.”

“And who said I wanted that?”

I pushed my arm up between us, rotated the direction of my elbow to the outside of his grip, and plunged it down. The self-defense move twisted his wrist and caused pressure against his thumb, forcing him to relinquish his hold. It was the move I’d learned the last two days watching YouTube videos.

“I believe you said I didn’t exist anymore. Was that before or after you choked me into unconsciousness? I don’t remember. The night’s a little fuzzy.” I zipped up my backpack and waltzed into the bathroom. “So let me go, and you’ll never have to think about me again.”

I dipped into the cabinet below, searching for another tube of traveling toothpaste.

“It’s a little premature for that, isn’t it?”

I looked up at him with a glare.

Jake leaned against my doorway, his arms crossed as he stared at something on the counter.

A white box sat on the countertop with two pink lines staring at me. My eyes bugged out of their sockets as I grabbed the unopened box and threw it under the sink.

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